The Silent Service (1957)
The Silent Service was a 1957–1958 syndicated anthology television series based on actual events in the submarine section of the United States Navy. The Silent Service was narrated by Rear Admiral Thomas M. Dykers, who retired from the Navy in 1949 after twenty-two years of service. He began each episode with this refrain: "Tonight, we bring you another thrilling episode of Silent Service stories, of warfare under the sea." Many of the episodes focused on the history of specific submarines, including: ⁕USS Sculpin ⁕USS Nautilus, the first atomic submarine ⁕USS Perch ⁕USS Tang ⁕USS S-38 ⁕USS Tirante ⁕USS Bergall ⁕USS Spearfish ⁕USS Triton ⁕USS Wahoo, and ⁕USS Gato, subject of the series finale. Actors appearing on The Silent Service included Russell Johnson, cast three times in the role of the character "Beach". DeForest Kelley and Leonard Nimoy appeared in two episodes each as Lieutenant Commander James Dempsey and as Sonarman, respectively. Jerry Paris and Liam Sullivan each guest starred twice. Eric Morris appeared in nineteen episodes identified only as "Soldier". Other guest stars included Joe Conley, Mike Connors, Lawrence Dobkin, Ron Hagerthy, Adam Kennedy, Robert Knapp, Paul Richards, Bing Russell, Craig Stevens, Dennis Weaver and Stuart Whitman.
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Episode 1 - The Archerfish Spits Straight
Release Date: 1958-03-07Submarine Commander questions his own judgment and beaches himself in administrative duty. He returns to sea and commands another sub to sink one of the biggest warship prizes of the war.
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Episode 2 - The Sea Devil Attacks Puget Sound
Release Date: 1958-03-14US Submarine vs US ASW group consisting of Destroyers and aircraft in a Cold War era war game. Who will win the competition?
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Episode 3 - The Bergall's Revenge
Release Date: 1958-03-21Follows the beginning of the Bergall's third war patrol to Lombok strait. The highlight of the patrol is to use the new "cutie" torpedo to eliminate escorts that threaten US subs passing through the straits.
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Episode 4 - The Unsuccessful Patrol
Release Date: 1958-03-28S boats were early and older US subs. S34 was sent into Kiska, Alaska after Japan invaded. She barely survived. Nothing sunk, but she survived.
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Episode 5 - The Story of the U.S.S. Aspro
Release Date: 1958-04-04US subs provided lifeguard duty. Saving downed allied pilots. The USS Aspro did that just outside Tokyo, Japan in Aug. 1945 at great risk to all aboard.
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Episode 6 - The Thresher Story
Release Date: 1958-04-11Torpedo test goes wrong and fired with the outer door still closed. It has to be disarmed or boom. Thresher adds a 5" gun for surface action in 42. US Torpedoes were bad at that time. The 5" gun saved the Thresher in a duel with a Jap ship.
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Episode 7 - The Ugly Duckling
Release Date: 1958-04-18 -
Episode 8 - Peto Plucks Some Chickens
Release Date: 1958-04-25This episode starts with the New CO borrowing uniforms from one of his officers in San Fran. The Story ends with that JO resigning to be a priest. Plenty of soul saving in between late in the war.
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Episode 9 - The S-38 Story
Release Date: 1958-05-02During the Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies the S-38 attempts to rescue survivors from a British destroyer. She rescued 58 Royal sailors from the HMS Electra which had been sunk the day before.
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Episode 10 - Incident Down South
Release Date: 1958-05-09In early 1942, the USS Tarpon is in bad shape. Then bad turns to worse when she is grounded on an uncharted reef. Can the ship float free in time to avoid the nearby Japanese?
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Episode 11 - Mine for Keeps
Release Date: 1958-05-16When the Navy learns that Japanese freighters are hugging the coast of Japan in order to evade US submarines, the Trigger is sent to the area to lay mines to force Japanese shipping out into deeper waters. USS Trigger (SS-237) a Gato-class submarine. From 3 Dec 1942 to 22 Jan 1943, the submarine conducted a combined minelaying and offensive patrol, in waters surrounding Japan. On 20 December, she began planting a minefield off Inubo Saki, Honshū. Trigger planted the northern half of the field and was working on the southern part when a cargo ship passed her, heading into the newly-laid mines. Five minutes later, a violent explosion rocked the captain of the Trigger gets to see the freighter while an escort circled her. The submarine later heard another explosion from the direction of the minefield and, when she surfaced the next day, found the field was covered by smoke.
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Episode 12 - Fish Out of Water
Release Date: 1958-05-23The USS Baya operates in cooperation with Navy patrol planes in the South China Sea.
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Episode 13 - The U.S.S. Cod's Lost Boarding Party
Release Date: 1958-05-30The USS Cod boarding party was stranded for 52 hours on a Japanese junk before they could be rescued.
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Episode 14 - The Triton's Christmas
Release Date: 1958-06-06The Triton wardroom and torpedomen ensure a good Christmas is had by all.
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Episode 15 - The Hawkbill's Revenge
Release Date: 1958-06-13The skipper of the USS Hawkbill vows revenge when a Japanese minelayer sinks the USS Lagarto.
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Episode 16 - The Tigershark
Release Date: 1958-06-20Tigershark sights an enemy task force. The skipper has to make a decision: Follow orders and leave the area or surface and radio headquarters. His decision leads to one of his sailors being recommended for the Navy Cross.
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Episode 17 - The Cavalla Story
Release Date: 1958-06-29On her first war patrol in June of 1944, the USS Cavala's captain obeys orders despite a tempting target. His disciplined conduct sets up the great American victory of "The Marianas Turkey Shoot."
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Episode 18 - The Growler's Captain
Release Date: 1958-07-06A submarine captain sacrifices himself for the safety of his ship and crew.
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Episode 19 - The U.S.S. Tinosa Story
Release Date: 1958-07-13This was Operation Barney where 9 US Subs entered the Sea of Japan in June 45. They were the "Hellcats" squadron. They wreaked havoc on Japanese ships with the loss of only 1 sub.
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Episode 20 - The Grayling Story
Release Date: 1958-07-20A Lucky hat and a whale of a tale that contribute to an evasion.
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Episode 21 - The S-44 Story
Release Date: 1958-07-27A renovated 18-year-old sub is sent to sink a Japanese cruiser.
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Episode 22 - The Pargo's Lucky Seventh
Release Date: 1958-08-01On her seventh war patrol, the USS Pargo gets an assignment to land Australian commandos on one of the Paracel Islands.
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Episode 23 - The Crevalle's Mine Plant
Release Date: 1958-08-08Laying mines off the Japanese-held harbor of Saigon was a tough job at best; but, with one of your own mines stuck in the torpedo tube and an enemy destroyer closing fast, it was a downright nightmare.
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Episode 24 - The Sunfish Story
Release Date: 1958-08-15The U.S.S. Sunfish endures 186 depth charges released by Japanese surface craft.
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Episode 25 - The Sunfish's Cook
Release Date: 1958-08-22Fed up with his routine chores in the gallery, the cook of the USS Sunfish, Teddy Aldridge, requests an active combat station for the next engagement with the enemy. The ship's executive officer assigns him a Browning automatic rifle for use during surface action.
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Episode 26 - The Nautilus and the Nuns
Release Date: 1958-08-29Fourteen nuns escape from the Solomon Islands in the U.S.S. Nautilus.
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Episode 27 - The Sandshark Story
Release Date: 1958-09-05American submarine is sent to rescue missionaries from Japanese held island, but one does not want to leave.
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Episode 28 - Operation Seadragon
Release Date: 1958-09-12Appendectomy. No doctor. No surgical supplies. But American Submariners get the job done -- even as depth charges explode nearby.
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Episode 29 - The Harder at Woleai
Release Date: 1958-09-19Extensive effort to rescue a downed pilot off enemy held island beach from a reef. Early success versus an enemy destroyer. CDR Samuel D Dealey commanding.
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Episode 30 - The Tautog Story
Release Date: 1958-09-26USS Tautog was at Pearl Dec. 7th, 1941. She sank 26 Jap ships equating to 72,606 tons by the end of the war. She had one of the best records in WWII.
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Episode 31 - The Swordfish Story
Release Date: 1958-10-03USS Swordfish travels to the Lembeh Straits on Celebes to discover how an Imperial Japanese air base is being supplied.
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Episode 32 - The Gabilan Story
Release Date: 1958-10-10Submarine risks Japanese shore batteries to rescue downed airman less than a mile off coast of Japan. Then USN destroyers mistake submarine for Japanese ship. Galivan evades multiple attacks by "friendly" destroyers.
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Episode 33 - The Gato Story
Release Date: 1958-10-17The captain of the USS Gato plays a hunch (or is it something more than a mere "hunch"?) to rescue downed American airmen.
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Episode 34 - The Silversides Story
Release Date: 1958-10-24An egocentric young torpedoman matures as he his shaped by the harsh realities of submarine combat.
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Episode 35 - The Bowfin Story
Release Date: 1958-10-31Today's theme is the Bowfin Story.
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Episode 36 - Royal Submarines
Release Date: 1958-11-07A British sub commander in the Mediterranean intercepts enemy supply boats.
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Episode 37 - The Squalus Story
Release Date: 1958-11-14USS Squalus sinks off of New Hampshire in 1939. New rescue equipment is used to rescue half of the crew.
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Episode 38 - Seanettle vs U-Boat
Release Date: 1958-11-21American submarine skillfully tracks and engages a German U-Boat that is headed for Japan.
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Episode 39 - U-47 in Scapa Flow
Release Date: 1958-11-28On 14 October 1939, Gunther Prien penetrated the Royal Navy's primary base at Scapa Flow where he torpedoed and sank the battleship Royal Oak and returned home to instant fame.